E-Paper
Water woes in Mohali set to end in December
Mohali to get 20 MGD additional water from Kajauli; new deadline of December 1 set as work at Singhpura treatment plant nears completion
After missing two deadlines in the past nine years, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has set December 1 as the final deadline to start the additional supply of 20 MGD (million gallon daily) water from Phases 5 and 6 of the Kajauli waterworks.
The Kajauli waterworks is located on the Bhakra mainline canal near Morinda in Rupnagar district, from where water requirement of Chandigarh, Mohali and Chandimandir are met.
Even as Chandigarh has already started receiving its additional share of 35 MGD water from the two new phases, the supply to Mohali got delayed because of pending work at the water treatment plant coming up in Singhpura.
The project has missed two deadlines: December 2020 and July 2021. Now, 400 workers are on the job to meet the new deadline.
“The project has been delayed due to the pandemic. The construction work of the water treatment plant is going on in full swing and 80% work is completed. We have set the deadline of December 1 for its completion, and on the same day, Mohali residents will start getting an additional 20 MGD water,” said GMADA chief engineer Davinder Singh.
Shortage touching 12 MGD in peak summer
For the past several years, Mohali has been reeling under an acute water shortage as the gap between the demand and supply stretches up to 12 MGD during peak summer.
At present, against a peak demand of 32 MGD, Mohali gets 10 MGD water from the older phases of Kajauli waterworks and 10 MGD from 75 tubewells.
In May 2012, GMADA had started laying pipelines to supply additional water from the Kajauli waterworks to Mohali and Chandigarh at a cost of ₹200 crore, half of which was borne by Chandigarh.
However, the delay in Singhpura plant, being built by a Gujarat-based company for ₹100 crore, put a spanner in the project. One of the reasons was indecision: whether to go for 5 MGD capacity or 20 MGD? GMADA finally went with the second option. The pandemic, too, played a part by creating labour shortage.
MC councillor Kuljeet Singh Bedi, who had moved the high court over water shortage in Mohali, said: “The project has been delayed due to the lackadaisical attitude of officials concerned. It is unfortunate that the public had to suffer for years.”
Kharar to get 5 MGD water from same line
The 20 MGD additional water to be supplied under the project will also cater to the needs of Kharar and Morinda.
In order to overcome the scarcity of drinking water and problem of rapid depletion of groundwater, Kharar will get its share of 5 MGD potable water drawn from Phases 5 and 6 of the Kajauli waterworks, said the GMADA chief engineer
“Kharar is coming up with the infrastructure, which will take some time for completion. Till then, Mohali will be using its share of 5 MGD water,” he said, adding that even Morinda will get 1 MGD water from the same pipeline.
